Valentine's Day
by sesshomaru-haku
Summary: A year after the second Bloody Valentine war ends, Athrun Zala visits his mother's grave on a fateful day. RnR please.


_Disclaimer: Gundam SEED Destiny is owned by Sunrise and Bandai._

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February 14, C.E. 75. A day no different from any of the February 14ths that had passed by in the multitude of years before. Various lovestruck young men presented crimson bouquets to that special someone of theirs, to much delight and happiness from said recipients. The roads were clogged and restaurants full of couples sharing an intimate meal together. Hotels made a small fortune. Florists, of course, wore smirks all throughout the day, and there was a general shortage of red roses on both Earth and the PLANTs.

So the cashier who was serving a certain blue-haired male was surprised to see that he was purchasing white roses instead. But she thought nothing of it. _He probably just wants to stand out from the crowd,_ she thought to herself with an amused smile.

She would have been rather astonished to find out that the flowers were meant not for his girlfriend, but for his mother. And she wouldn't have smiled, perhaps, had she known that, instead of a fancy restaurant, they were bound for a cemetery.

Leaving the bouquet in the passenger seat, the young man gunned the car's engines and sped off towards his destination. It didn't take him long to get there.

It seemed that everything was still the same, as it had been for the past 4 years. The immense, amber sky glowed softly in the pale twilight, the last rays of the sun quietly fading away. A zephyr shook the aspens subtly, their flowing leaves murmuring, whispering endlessly. Besides the occasional twitter of a bird, there was silence.

The young man put the flowers down. He stood before the grave, a lone figure among the hundreds of rows in the cemetery. For a long moment, he did not say anything, the expression on his face unreadable. He let his eyes roam over the tombstone, pondering it, observing the details he had last seen a year ago.

The tombstone was simple. Unremarkable. Its design was prosaic, a replica of every other one around him. The smooth, cold marble was unblemished and unmarked but for a few intricately carved words:

_Lenore Zala, August 23, C.E.34 – February 14, C.E.70._

Eventually, he sighed, breaking the silence of the aspens' whisperings.

"It seems like everything is always the same here, Mother," he said. "As though time stands still in here. As though…nothing ever changes. Of course, nothing does, does it?" A slight smile formed on his lips, but his eyes were sad. "And yet, the world moves, as always."

He took a breath. "The war has ended, Mother. LOGOS and Durandal are both dead. Cagalli signed a peace armistice with ZAFT last October." This time, the smile reached his eyes. "All the fighting…the conflict…it's done. It's over. But not before millions of lives were needlessly sacrificed again." He recounted his fallen comrades and acquaintances, all those he had lost. Heine. Meer. Dusty. Miguel. _Nichol._ "Humanity did not learn the first time, and it has paid dearly. Have we learnt our lesson now? Or will we pay a third time? _Can_ we pay a third time?"

He was silent for a moment. He spoke again.

"The former Chairman, Gilbert Durandal…he created something called the Destiny Plan. He wanted to create a world ruled by genetics, where one's destiny would be determined from his birth. He said he would create a world without sorrow. Without suffering.

"But in such a world, no one would have a future. No one would have choices. Perhaps not even a reason to live. There might be no poverty, no war, but it would still be a joyless world for many. I do not believe that such a world is perfect. It's like Kira said – We want to be able to choose, even if doing so will cause us pain.

"It's been half a year since the war ended. People are slowly rebuilding their lives. Every day, you can see families shopping at the malls or children playing in the park. Perhaps one day, the world will be able to return back to normal. Not as though the war never happened, no, but normal nevertheless.

"I'm back at ORB now. Cagalli's put me in charge of military affairs. It can be a rather hectic job, but I don't really mind. Although, dealing with politicians can be rather troublesome at times…" He chuckled. "They don't dare to give too much trouble, though. Probably because they know she'll will step in if they do. So overall, I quite enjoy it. Especially since working with Yzak is never boring...He's a ZAFT commander, and I meet with him quite frequently. Speaking of which, Kira has joined ZAFT, too. Because of his skills, he was promoted very quickly to the Commander rank, meaning that he works with Yzak. Surprisingly, the two of them actually get on quite well..." he trailed off, sounding amused.

His face brightened into a warm smile. "And now I have some big news for you, Mother…Cagalli and I are getting married. I proposed to her 2 months ago. The ceremony will be a couple of weeks from now.

"It's a whole new chapter in my life, and a new beginning. I'll be with the woman I love, and the woman I'll spend the rest of my life with. It does seem a little daunting at times, but I'm looking forward to it, and I'm sure Cagalli feels the same.

"We aren't the only ones though. Kira and Lacus just got married at the beginning of the year. And Yzak, of all people, has been going out with Shiho Harhenfuss for some time now, too. They make a good couple. I expect he'll propose to her in another few months…" He made a wry expression and chuckled. "It's ironical, isn't it, that while he has a girlfriend, Dearka is still looking for one?"

He stayed at the grave for about an hour or so, telling his mother about various happenings around the globe and on the PLANTS. At times, a smile would light up his face. At others, he was content to be silent, contemplating thoughts and events drifting through his mind. He stood there, a lone figure, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

Eventually, when the sky had darkened into night, he left.

He reached his car, gunned the engines and drove off, the passenger seat now empty.

Behind him, the white roses lay at the tombstone, their petals fluttering slightly in the wind.

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A/N: As this is my tenth story and it's been almost a year since I wrote my first fanfiction, this fic is kind of a mini-milestone for me, and I wanted to make it something more...meaningful than what I usually write. Overall, I'm a little disappointed in it. Ah well._

___I have a feeling that I made Athrun OOC. Please review and tell me if I did. Thank you._


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